The Star's longtime columnist checks in with an update on the significance of Friday night's win over Wichita State, the cost of losing UA defensive coordinator Don Brown to UMass, why Salpointe's Kylie Wild is doing big things, and how Jedd Fisch could fix the fan experience at Arizona Stadium:
Win over Wichita State shows Cats' resilience
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin shoots against Wichita State during the second half of their game Nov. 19, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Tommy Lloyd recapped each of Arizona’s early November blowouts at McKale Center by warning of inevitable “bumps in the road.’’
That caution was much too mild. When the Wildcats hung on to beat Wichita State in overtime Friday night, Lloyd’s team encountered large potholes, lane-closures and everything but "ROAD CLOSED" signs.
It was the perfect formula for a loss. Arizona committed 22 turnovers, its most since December 2012, and it shot 5 for 27 from 3-point distance, which usually gets you beat.
Remember Arizona’s dreadful 0-3 faceplant in the November 2017 made-for-TV games in the Bahamas? The Wildcats shot 10 for 54 from 3-point distance in losses to NC State, SMU and Purdue. That UA team, with Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier, wasn’t resourceful enough to find another way to win.
This one was.
Friday’s escape in Las Vegas was a reminder that when you hit the road in college basketball, the road hits back. The game becomes an exercise in BAMP — By Any Means Possible.
After watching the Shockers for 45 minutes, I thought that (1) they are good enough to finish third or fourth in the Pac-12 and (2) if Arizona and Wichita State meet again this season, it’ll likely be a No. 7 vs. No. 10 first-round game in the NCAA Tournament.
"The Shockers, we’re not going to fold," said Wichita State's Tyson Etienne, who scored 24 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and overtime.
There was one huge flaw in Etienne’s statistics line. He shot 9 for 27. He took bad shot after bad shot. Yet Etienne said: "We’re going to be one of the greatest teams in college basketball, I firmly believe that."
Probably not. But Etienne and the Shockers played aggressively and forced 22 Arizona turnovers. That’s almost historic. Since the UA's 27-turnover game against Southern Miss in 2012, Arizona had only committed 20 turnovers five times in the past 291 games.
Somehow, it found a way to win.
Ultimately, Friday’s game was a positive experience. In March, it will look like a good win on paper, helping a bubble team get into the NCAA Tournament field of 68. The chance to play No. 4-rankled Michigan on Sunday night will greatly enhance the UA’s strength of schedule résumé, win or lose.
Losing DC Don Brown would be costly for Cats
UA defensive coordinator Don Brown is a candidate for the vacant head coaching job at UMass.
The official statistics file from Arizona’s 44-18 loss at Washington State Friday night included a novel item from the WSU media relations department:
In the “attendance’’ box, it said "SUNNY."
It was so foggy at Martin Stadium that the TV announcers sometimes couldn’t accurately describe a play or identify ball-carriers. It was so wet and cold that Arizona’s strength and conditioning coach Tyler Owens and his staff abandoned their tough-guy approach to the game — they wore golf shirts in the first half — and bundled up in winter gear for the second half.
The outcome didn’t matter much. When you’ve gone 1-22 — when your starting middle linebacker, Jerry Roberts, suffers a dreadfully graphic lower leg injury on the game’s first play from scrimmage — you almost become numb to the process of adding another loss onto the pile.
But what did cause concern were reports that Arizona defensive coordinator Don Brown might be under consideration to be the head coach at UMass, the school at which he was the head coach from 2004-08.
Brown is the heart and soul of Arizona’s coaching staff, a winning personality with an impressive coaching résumé a mile long. Why would Brown, 66, agree to coach at a school that has gone 20-91 dating to the 2011 season and has gone just 2-25 over its past 27 games after Saturday's loss, almost as bleak a stretch as the one at Arizona?
Brown and his wife, Deborah, were both born in Spencer, Massachusetts, which is 35 miles from the UMass campus. He coached at UMass a total of seven seasons. He was the head coach at Northeastern, which is 56 miles from Spencer.
Don and Deborah Brown have four kids and 10 grandchildren, most of them living in New England. Earlier this month, their grandson, Remy, led his junior-league football team to the Massachusetts state championship. One of the endearing images on Deborah Brown’s Facebook page is of her and Don at Christmas, sitting happily squeezed on a couch with all 10 of their grandchildren.
If Brown is indeed offered and accepts the vacancy at UMass, it will be understandable. All you can do is wish him the best.
Salpointe grad Donny Sands on the move
Catalina Foothills High School grad Sam Beskind has cracked Stanford's starting lineup.
Five quick Tucson sports observations:
• The insecurity of a professional baseball player can be a never-ending test. After former Salpointe Catholic High School standout Donny Sands was added to the New York Yankees’ 40-man roster earlier this month, the 25-year-old catcher was traded to the Atlanta Braves for two minor-league prospects Friday.
• Emmanuel Akot, who was recruited to Arizona as the No. 42 overall high school prospect by Sean Miller in 2017, left the program in mid-season, 2018-19, full of doubt, exiled to the bench. But last Thursday and Friday against St. Bonaventure and Temple, Akot scored 40 points, including 10 3-point baskets for Boise State. Not only that, but Akot, who is 6 feet 8 inches, played point guard much of the time. Much like another of his UA teammates who transferred, Alex Barcello of BYU, Akot has taken advantage of a second chance to develop and produce.
• Speculation continues that Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who dislocated his elbow last week and is out for the season, will transfer to Arizona and play the 2022 season for his hometown Wildcats. But that’s unrealistic. The Salpointe grad, who has gained 1,830 yards in two Texas seasons, will surely be a strong Heisman Trophy contender if he stays at Texas another season. That wouldn’t be possible in a rebuilding situation at Arizona.
• Sam Beskind, who helped lay the foundation for coach Doug D’Amore’s 2021 state championship basketball season at Catalina Foothills, helping the Falcons go 67-21 in his final three varsity seasons, has become a starter at Stanford. Beskind, a gritty 6-4 guard, started last week’s games against San Jose State, Valparaiso and Baylor He enrolled at Stanford as a walk-on four years ago; now he is on scholarship.
• Fred Harvey became Arizona’s track and field head coach 19 years ago but other than his small, 49-year-old bunker/office at McKale Center, he has never had a workplace at Drachman Stadium, which is three miles from the UA campus. Two weeks ago, Harvey and Tucson attorney Burt Kinerk, one of my Top 100 Sports Figures in Tucson history, were all smiles when they were able to step inside "Harvey’s Hut," a Wildcat-red office built for Harvey adjacent to the grandstands at Drachman Stadium. Kinerk funded the project. Why? First, he’s a good man. Second, 30 years ago, Harvey trained 1992 Olympics 200-meter bronze medalist Michael Bates without charge. Bates was then represented by Kinerk, who never forgot Harvey's largesse.
Bryanna Coté wins bowling title
Tucson’s Bryanna Coté won the 2021 Professional Women’s Bowling Association championship last week in Reno, Nevada, a compelling finish to the PWBA’s three-event Fall Classic at the National Bowling Stadium. It was pro bowling’s equivalent of the PGA Tour’s Fed Ex championship, a compilation of season-long excellence. Cote, a Canyon del Oro High School grad, finished first or second in four events during the long season. “I had talked with my husband about it, and coming into Reno, we never even thought player of the year was on the table,” said Coté after securing the award at the Tour Championship. “All I could do was just bowl and try to bowl great. When I realized I was getting closer and put myself in position to be player of the year, I just stayed the course and tried to stay focused.”
Luke Moga continues family tradition
As Salpointe Catholic High School won its 5A state playoff football game 63-24 Friday against Phoenix Sunnyslope, a familiar name surfaced. Highly-regarded Sunnyslope freshman Luke Moga caught a 74-yard touchdown pass and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass. Forty years ago, Luke’s grandfather, Lou Moga, was the quarterbacks coach at Salpointe, helping young Dennis Bene and the Lancers set passing records. Bene later coached Salpointe to the 2014 state championship. Luke Moga comes from good stock: His father, Chris Moga, was a 1,000-yard rusher at Sabino High School in 1985 and accepted a scholarship to Kentucky, where he became a starting defensive back. Luke Moga has already attended football camps at Kentucky and LSU and appears to be one of the rising stars in Arizona prep football. He also has a 4.0 GPA. His father, Chris, is a senior manager at McKesson Pharma.
Andy Trouard up and running
In 2012, Salpointe’s Andy Trouard won the Big Four of Arizona high school distance running, finishing first in the state cross country finals as well as the 3,200, 1,600 and 800 meters in the spring state championships. He went on to be the NCAA champion in the 2018 3,000 meter indoor finals and was a five-time All-American at NAU. Now, after battling a lingering Achilles injury for almost three years, Trouard is back on the map. He finished 12th last week in the USA Track and Field 5,000 meter championships in New York City. Trouard is 27. ….
Kylie Wild could join running greats
Kylie Wild, pictured in a race last fall, won her second straight Division III state cross country title. The Salpointe Catholic junior finished in a time of 18 minutes, 41 seconds.
Salpointe cross country coach Mike Urbanski, who has now coached the Lancers boys/girls cross country teams to a total of five state championships, potentially has another distance runner in the Trouard mold. Junior Kylie Wild won her second straight state cross country championship last week, capping a remarkable year in which she won state titles last spring in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She is on track to match former early 1990s Amphitheater High School standout Virginia Pedersoli, who won back-to-back state cross country titles as well as the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters championship before competing for Arizona. …
Ka'Deem Carey up for CFL player of the year
The Calgary Stampeders last week nominated Tucson’s Ka’Deem Carey as the Canadian Football League’s running back of the year. Carey, 29, was second in the CFL with 869 rushing yards entering Saturday’s game against Winnipeg, the last game of the CFL regular season. No surprise there. Carey gained 4,492 yards at Canyon del Oro High School and a school-record 4,239 at Arizona.
My two cents: Shout if you want new traditions at Arizona Stadium
After inviting the fans on the field, Arizona wide receiver Jamarye Joiner, 10, jumps among them while fans rush the field following Arizona's first win of the season over California at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. on Nov. 6th, 2021. Arizona won 10-3.
The gameday atmosphere at Arizona Stadium was so lacking this season — average attendance of 34,901 was the lowest in Tucson since 1972 — that it goes beyond the UA’s 1-22 streak.
Head coach Jedd Fisch last week said that he will address crowd involvement between the third and fourth quarters. As much as Fisch tried this season, the two songs he hoped would become an anticipated rallying cry failed badly.
I’ve got two suggestions: "YMCA" or "Livin' La Vida Loca." Even the early-departing ZonaZoo students would hang around to sing those rousing songs. They would get me to my feet up in the press box.
The Pac-12’s most effective fourth-quarter spirit-builder is Oregon’s Autzen Stadium’s version of "Shout," from the 1970s movie "Animal House."
I don’t think there’s any NCAA or Pac-12 rule prohibiting Arizona from borrowing “Shout’’ from the Ducks. But "YMCA" never fails, either.
